Hedgesville welcomes Florida team

August 1, 2014

HEDGESVILLE - The Hedgesville Little League finds itself in the odd situation of throwing something of a party, and the guests of honor aren't coming.

Picked to host the Little League Southeast Region's Tournament of State Champions for 10- and 11-year-old softball teams, league president Nevin Kilmer discovered that qualifying teams chose not to come.

All except one.

Hedgesville is still holding a tournament anyway, renaming it the Hedgesville Invitational Tournament after throwing something together for this weekend.

Kilmer just couldn't break the hearts of a team of young girls.

"I just want to kind of help them out," Kilmer said.

The champion from the state of Florida - the Palmetto Little League - will be participating as the lone actual qualifier.

Teams from Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia opted out.

Also participating will be the Hedgesville team, which finished as the state runner-up to Mountaineer when Hedgesville hosted the state event about a month ago, and teams from Grant County and Moorefield.

"When I told (Palmetto manager Donnie Childers) that we were going to cancel the tournament, he said, 'My lands, these girls will be crushed,'" Kilmer said. "'Many of them have never been out of Florida."

Childers told Kilmer, "You all say, 'We're going to Disney World,' is like us saying, 'We're going to West Virginia.'"

The team enjoying its version of Disney World arrived Thursday after a bus ride of about 14 hours from the Tampa, Florida, area.

The team plans some sightseeing during its trip to the Mid-Atlantic. The Hedgesville Little League will host a picnic tonight.Each of the four teams will play two games both Saturday and Sunday.

"Everybody will play everybody once," Kilmer said.

Based on their finishes in pool play, a championship and consolation game will wrap up Sunday play.